Saturday, January 11, 2014

Morgan Manifacier - Hues and Calm

Morgan Manifacier, new album, Hues and Calm, is a hauntingly beautiful excursion, a tapestry of sounds, ambient and moving.

“Folk music is deeply personal and intimate,” he says. “There is nowhere to hide with this music, especially during a performance, and it becomes very easy to connect with others.” - Morgan Manifacier

Hues and Calm is set to be released on January 21st, following a San Francisco Bay Area tour.
This upcoming release represents Morgan Manifacier's intricate work in building an album combining folk structures to a completely experimental, almost avant-garde sound. Its first single, "Cold Countries" has been described by the San Francisco Bay Area online music publication as "a bold and tantalizing hint at a record that we're betting will put him on the proverbial map for Bay Area folk fans." The album as a whole takes the listener and encapsulates them into a deeper level - with captivating sounds and an array of vocal styles from band frontman, Morgan Manifacier.

“I considered myself a solo artist before, but not anymore. Now it’s more of a collaborative effort to compose music. On the record, every song, there’s a very distinct influence with each band member,” Manifacier says. “It’s an interesting exercise to bring them to an acoustic setting but I like it better with a full band. They really bring it to life in a better way.” - Morgan Manifacier

Morgan, born and raised in France, came to the United States to study music and build a reputation as an outstanding performer. Upon his venture to the US, Morgan released his critically acclaimed debut album, Grande, on Tape Club Records in March of 2011. Now, only two years later, Morgan comes back with this new album, Hues and Calm, the mature, experimental product of his collaboration with drummer Matt Camgros and cellist Sarah Hawley-Snow. They have been featured on The Bay Bridged, The SF Deli Magazine, In Your Speakers, and other publications for their releases thus far.Tracklist:

Hues and Calm was recorded with fundings from a successful Kickstarter campaign, which reached about $10,000. This allowed the band to work with renowned sound engineer Scott McDowell and record at the world-famous Hyde Street Studio C, well-known for the work of bands Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane.